War of the Servants
by Merlin-Smiles
Summary: Merlin has feelings for Arthur but doesn't know how to tell him. Gwen always seems to be taking Arthur away from him all the time and Merlin isn't happy about this.
1. Chapter 1

** War of the Servants**

**Chapter1- His Heart's Desire**

**Note: This is my first ever Fic and it's Merthur :D  
>Special thanks to TeamMerthur who suggested that I should have a go at writing my own Merlin Fic , so I'm just trying it out. I hope you like it =)<strong>

_Merlin's decision was final. He could not bear to just stand there and let this wedding proceed. Merlin's feelings for Arthur were overflowing with devotion, surely his feelings could possibly be mutual?_

_"Arthur does not belong to Gwen, he belongs to me! I have to do something!"Merlin desperately thought to himself. He was itching to make a move. Just as he started to take a step forward, Gaius grabbed him by the arm._

_"What are you doing Merlin?" asked Gaius who looked rather confused._  
><em>"I'm following my heart and doing what I believe is right." Merlin spoke with confidence and determination.<em>  
><em>Gaius raised an eyebrow, failing to understand what on earth Merlin was talking about and let go of his arm. Merlin faced forward to see Arthur placing the ring on Guinevere's finger which made Merlin furious and eventually, lose his temper.<br>_

_"ARTHUR! STOP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Merlin pleaded while walking down the aisle from the back row. Each and every guest exchanged puzzled looks with each other and turned around in shock to see the teary-eyed, skinny servant interrupting the wedding of King Arthur and his beloved Queen. Unfortunately, the couple were just as puzzled as everyone else in the throne room._

_"Merlin, what is wrong with you? What do you want?" demanded Arthur, giving Merlin frustrated impatient looks._

_" I want YOU" Merlin's walking pace increased as the guest's eyes followed his every move and were astonished at the words that came out of this young man's mouth. At that moment, Merlin didn't care about anything or anyone else in the world and had his mind completely set on Arthur.  
><em>

_Merlin had finally reached Arthur and carelessly pushed Gwen out of the way who dropped the wedding ring. He put his arms around Arthur's neck and kissed him intensely on his lips which were as soft as petals of a rose and were tenderly warm. This sensation comforted Merlin and made him feel relaxed. For a moment, Arthur responded immediately but then became aware of what he was doing._

_Taken aback, Arthur pulled his head out of Merlin's grasp and looked him straight in the eye. Merlin felt a strong grab on his left shoulder and tried to shake it off. Despite this, he focused on Arthur's beautiful blue eyes and stroked his golden hair. Then he realised that there was a hand pulling him back, forcing him to groan in pain. Annoyed, he turned around to see what, or rather, who was pulling him away. To his surprise, it was Gwen who had seized him. Merlin gave her a dirty look.  
><em>

_"Get your hands off me! Why the hell are you-"Merlin didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Guinevere laid a painful and sharp slap across Merlin's reddened cheekbones._

The young warlock had a little spaz attack on his own bed which made him roll onto the floor but yet somehow stayed fast asleep, dribbling on his shirt making him look like a baby.

Suddenly, he was awakened by the sound of a loud splash. Soon it occurred to him that the frosty splash was actually all over him and made him gasp and splutter. Merlin rubbed his eyes to see what was going on. His vision was blurry at first but became soon clearer as he squinted at the sunlight coming out of his bedroom window.

He got up to find that Arthur was staring straight at him with a bucket in his hand. This is what he wanted to wake up to every morning- The handsome King Arthur. Merlin couldn't help but gaze dreamily at Arthur's face and grinning a little.

Forgetting about his wet clothes, he thought about the dream he just had. The dream was so vivid that he felt as if he had actually kissed Arthur in reality. He chuckled at the thought that Arthur had no idea about this and imagined his reaction if he was to find out.

"MERLIN!" snapped Arthur, startling Merlin.

" Sorry to interrupt your little daydream there but I'm sure you have plenty of better things you should be doing for me" Arthur said arrogantly.

"Like what?" Merlin asked, knowing what to expect as a reply but he couldn't get enough of Arthur's smooth voice.

"Like polishing my armour, feeding the horses, mucking out the stables, NEED I GO ON?"

"Um no thanks, I could do without your bragging commands. Especially since I'm not even up yet!" Merlin replied, enjoying the view of Arthur's adorable face first thing in the morning.

"WELL GET UP THEN YOU DOLLOPHEAD! It was a rhetorical question, and remember, I'm your King not your friend." Arthur shouted at Merlin.

Merlin didn't really listen to what he was saying and obediently nodded, but could not take his eyes off the exquisite looking King.

Arthur looked at him awkwardly and made his way out. Gwen was standing in the doorway with a lit up smile on her face, waiting for Arthur to join her. He put an arm around her and walked out of Merlin's view.

Merlin felt a stinging feeling of jealousy inside him and part of him died a little. He clenched his fists as tears were welling up inside his eyes. No matter what it took, he had to get rid of Gwen – fast.

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><p><strong>I would very much appreciate if you let me know what you think of this chapter :D<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**War of the Servants**

**Chapter 2 – Merlin's Revenge**

**Here's chapter 2! ****I really enjoyed writing this one, you'll understand why when you've finished reading xD This chapter's got LOTS of dialogue. I hope you enjoy reading it :D**

The sun was beating down hard on Camelot as everyone carried out their regular daily routines. Arthur was having a sword training session with his Knights of the Round Table and Merlin was asked to stand on the side, holding a massive wooden dartboard to be used for Arthur to demonstrate target practice. Of course, Merlin was the target.

"Aww, poor Merlin. Don't look so bored, we'll get you up and running around soon enough! Just make sure you have at least some energy left for running – You look worn out already!" King Arthur mocked Merlin who was struggling to carry the heavy weight of the dartboard, making the rest of the Knights roar with laughter. Merlin just sighed, too tired to say anything as the heat made his throat dry. He didn't complain about the massive dartboard because it over-sized the skinny warlock, shadowing him from the sun.

He looked in the other direction and saw Guinevere approaching him.

"Don't come to me, don't come here, go away!"he prayed quietly to himself, but it was too late for that as Gwen smiled at him. Merlin forced a reluctant smile back at her.  
>"I see Arthur's training his men really hard as usual" Gwen looked at Arthur admiringly.<p>

"Yes, that is part of his job. After all, he is the King of Camelot!" stated Merlin, also looking at Arthur.

Arthur caught Guinevere staring at him and gave her a wide beaming grin and waved. Gwen smiled and waved back and Merlin did the same, only to realise that Arthur waved at Gwen and not him. Merlin felt his face burn in embarrassment and hoped neither Gwen or Arthur saw that.

"Arthur looks quite hot doesn't he?" said Gwen, still staring at the King.

"Yea- WHAT?" Merlin exploded in shock, with widened eyes and a disgusted expression on his face, giving Gwen disapproving looks. Gwen seemed to snap out of her daydream about Arthur and faced Merlin again.

"Oh, no I um, I meant scorching weather today isn't it?"Gwen stuttered. "It's so good of him to still come outside on a day like this and give up his time to practice his fighting skills with his fellow knights. What I meant was, he's working so hard that he's sweating!" she blurted out, obviously just saying the first thing that came to her mind in order to cover up her description about Arthur being 'Hot'.

"Indeed, Arthur does have the makings of a great King and I'm sure he that if he had to, he would give up all his time, just for the sake of Camelot-despite being such a clotpole at times!" replied Merlin, still feeling unimpressed about what Gwen called him.

Of course Merlin agreed that Arthur is 'hot' but he couldn't bear to hear it from anyone else, especially not from Guinevere. Merlin believed that only he had the right to call Arthur such things because he loved Arthur more than anyone else. He thought back to when first met Arthur and the great Dragon, Kilgarrah telling him that Arthur is one side of the coin and Merlin was the other half. Surely he implied that it was destined for them to fall in love?

Suddenly, Merlin groaned as he had a dart thrown at his face by Arthur. Target practice had finally started and Merlin was not enjoying it.  
>"I'll see you around later Merlin! Good luck with being the target." Gwen sympathised but laughed a little.<br>"Bye!" replied Merlin, relieved that Gwen had finally gone.

After a good half an hour of Target Practice, Arthur dismissed Merlin who was aching all over from running around and carrying the stupid dartboard. He put it away and walked back into the castle to Gaius' room.

* * *

><p>"Ah Merlin, where have you been? You seem to have developed a hunchback!" laughed Gaius.<p>

"It's not funny! I was Arthur's Target – again, and now I can hardly walk upright. I ache all over!" groaned Merlin, taking a seat on the chair.

"Well now you know how I feel." Gaius pointed out. "Now go and collect some herbs for me please, I need them before sunset."

"I've just come back from being tormented and now you want me to go and pick some herbs?" Merlin looked perplexed.

"I'm sorry Merlin but I really need those herbs before sunset." insisted Gaius while he flicked the pages of a thick book.

"All right then, I'll go, but it's the last thing I'm doing for you today." Merlin gave in. "You and Arthur never cease to find ways to give me a hard time do you?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll make your life a living hell if you don't get me those herbs on time!" Gaius joked.  
>"My life's already a living hell! I do so much for Arthur and never get any credit for it. There's really no pleasing him sometimes."<p>

Merlin made his way out to pick the herbs Gaius had asked for. He wasn't really referring to his life as a living hell because he was never credited for continuously saving Arthur's backside. It was simply because of Gwen. It was all her fault. If she hadn't existed, Merlin and Arthur could've been the happiest couple in the world, making Merlin's destiny easier to fulfil. If he gained Arthur's full trust, magic could be restored to Camelot with ease. However, Merlin doesn't just want Arthur's trust, he wants Arthur's love too, and Guinevere is the only thing that's stopping him.

Merlin snapped back into reality from his deep thoughts about Arthur and saw Gwen ahead of him in the distance. She was walking towards a well, presumably to fetch some water as she was carrying a bucket in her hand.

"Hmm, Guinevere and a well.." Merlin thought to himself and stopped walking. The young warlock had the most ingenious idea in mind. He walked a little closer towards the well but stayed hidden so Gwen couldn't see him. As if it was destiny, there was a brick right next to the well. Merlin waited until everyone was out of sight and whispered a spell, making his eyes glow and made the brick move right in front of Gwen. As she attempted to step forward, she tripped over and fell right into the well with an echoed scream and a splash.

"Hah! That'll serve her right! After all, she did say the weather was scorching hot so falling into a well should cool her down a bit."Merlin happily muttered to himself, looking rather pleased.

He went into the woods, collected Gaius' herbs and returned back to his room.

"Thank you, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Gaius examined the herbs that Merlin had given him.

"No, I actually enjoyed picking herbs for once! I never knew it could be so much fun." replied Merlin, thinking about Gwen in the well.

"Then I ought to send you to pick herbs more often!" smiled Gaius. 

Just then, Arthur knocked on the door and entered.

"Merlin, you haven't seen Guinevere anywhere by any chance have you?" questioned Arthur.

"No my lord, I haven't. Why?" Merlin quickly replied.

"Oh nothing, it's just that I haven't seen her all day except for when she was with you right before Target Practice." said Arthur, looking at Merlin.

"No sire, I haven't got a clue as to where she could be." Arthur made his way out and Merlin cheekily smirked. Gaius looked at him suspiciously.

**Loving the reviews! Keep them coming :D Special thanks to reviews by OgrOnkey and EmrysPendragon, I found them very supportive! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**War of the Servants**

**Chapter 3 – Bath Time**

**This chapter has some Merthur fun in it :D As usual, I hope you enjoy it!  
><strong>

The next morning in Arthur's chambers, Merlin was doing the King's bed while Arthur stood in the back of the room, changing behind his folding screen to get ready for his bath. A sneaky advantage for Merlin was that he was always the one who put up the folding screen for Arthur, as it was his duty as a man-servant. Therefore, he put it up in such a way that it didn't cover Arthur completely and Merlin could peek at his fine irresistible body which he longed to get his hands on.

As soon as Merlin had finished doing the bed, he moved on to pouring Arthur's warm bath water into the big circular bath bowl. He dipped his hand into the water to ensure that the water was just right for the King. Merlin was still surreptitiously taking little peeks at Arthur, and when he wasn't doing that, he watched him changing through the reflection of the mirror. Clearly being Arthur's servant for a few years meant that Merlin had his sly little ways to spy on Arthur. This was one of the very few rewarding privileges that he had taken advantage of – Anyway, who wouldn't want to see Arthur naked?

Arthur walked out of the changing screen only wearing a towel around his waist to see Merlin looking rather star struck, gazing directly at him.

"Uh Merlin? Wakey Wakey!" Arthur snapped his fingers at Merlin's gawping face.

"Oh sorry." Merlin snapped back into reality, "I really need to stop doing that!" he muttered under his breath.

"That'll be all Merlin. Let me enjoy my morning bath in peace." Arthur dismissed Merlin.

Merlin nodded and started to walk towards the door as Arthur stretched and yawned really loudly with his hands in the air. Merlin turned around to see that his towel had slipped off his waist and Arthur panicked and grabbed the towel from the floor. Merlin rushed back and decided to help.

"Sire let me!" Merlin pulled the towel off him and tried to tie it back around Arthur's waist.

"What the- MERLIN? GET OFF ME!" Arthur struggled as he tried to snatch the towel back off Merlin's hand.

The two men groaned and struggled to get hold of the towel as Merlin was hugging his arms around Arthur's waist and Arthur tried to wriggle his way out of Merlin's reach but failed. This was one of the most exhausting battles that both Merlin and Arthur had ever taken part in. Merlin stopped pulling and Arthur powerfully grabbed the towel, resulting in both men dramatically falling into the bath bowl, lying on top of each other. Arthur was on top - completely exposed, and Merlin was underneath him – gasping for breath because of Arthur's excessive weight.

"BLOODY HELL, YOU'RE HEAVY!" Merlin spluttered as he ran his fingers down the side on Arthur's body. They were both covered in water tried to get out of the bowl.

"SHUT UP MERLIN! This is ridiculous! All this because of a stupid towel!" Arthur looked anxious and nervous because the space that both men had taken up into the bowl meant that it was very hard to get out of it. Meanwhile, Merlin was really enjoying lying in this position but still made a show of struggling to get out, when in fact, he was just trying to get his hands on as many parts of Arthur's body as possible because he was aware that this may be his last opportunity.

There was an urgent knock on the door and Sir Leon entered. Merlin and Arthur popped their heads up from inside the bowl while exchanging panicked looks.

"Sire, we've found Guinevere! She was found weeping inside a well in the lower town and she's in such a state." Sir Leon looked around the room, trying to find where Arthur actually was. "She requires your presence in—OH MY GOD, I um, I didn't mean to interrupt your bath together.."He trailed off, briefly eyeing the two men on top of each other inside the bath bowl. Leon looked flabbergasted and tried to keep his eyes away from them but couldn't help staring quizzically at the sight. He looked slightly amused at the same time.

"This is not what you think!" Arthur exclaimed and finally managed to heave himself out of the bowl. He stood there, dripping wet and seemed to forget the fact that he was completely naked; he continued talking "Look, Merlin fell in the bowl by accident ok? We were certainly NOT bathing together, that would be preposterous and why would I want to anyway? Wait, did you just say Gwen was found inside a WELL?" Arthur kept talking rapidly, obviously ashamed of what Sir Leon had witnessed and tried to cover it up with an explanation, while Merlin was also out of the water, dripping wet.

"Ahem!" Merlin coughed to get Arthur's attention and eyed the King's _private_. Arthur gave him a confused looked in reply and then it struck him – he was still naked! He looked alarmed and looked around his chamber for something to cover up with. Merlin picked up the towel tied it around Arthur's waist.

"There! There really was no need to fuss Arthur." Merlin grinned, making his cheekbones stand out adorably. Arthur looked frustrated.

"Boys, it's none of my business what you get up to together in your spare time. From what I can see, you take pleasure in each other's company and if you're happy with it, then it's fine!" Leon spoke in an understanding voice, "I'll leave you to it then." He winked at the two men and walked out.

Merlin and Arthur stared at each other for a while, unable to think of what to say to each other. Merlin felt his pulse rise. Had Arthur found out about Merlin's true feelings for him? The silence was beginning to get awkward.

"I have to go and see Guinevere." Arthur broke the silence. "Get out Merlin." His voice was slightly shaky but strict. Merlin's heart sank and he had a lump in his throat at Arthur's mention of Gwen. He did as he was told and walked out of the chambers.

* * *

><p>In Gaius' room, Guinevere was lying down on the bed, sobbing as he was nursing her. Lancelot was sitting beside her, taking hold of her hand and whispered soft reassuring words to calm her down. Guinevere appreciated his hospitality and she smiled at Lancelot as she let him kiss her on the forehead and squeezed her hand.<p>

Arthur entered the room, wearing clothes, and stared uneasily at Lancelot and Guinevere.

"Sire, I found her crying for help inside a well and rescued her. Apparently, she accidentally fell inside it by tripping over a brick." explained Lancelot while standing up to let Arthur take his seat on the chair next to Gwen.

"Thank you Lancelot. I am truly grateful."Arthur gave him a pat on the shoulder, took his seat and smiled warmly at Gwen.

Merlin walked in tried not to give Gwen a dirty look. Lancelot walked up to him and took him to the corner and looked worried and hesitant.

"Merlin, there is something very important that you should know. Hold on, why are you all wet?" asked Lancelot.

"Oh I spilled some water on me." Merlin made an excuse. "What is it you wanted to say?"

"I wanted to tell you before, but I didn't know how. I felt like I needed to confide this with somebody and you seemed the only person who I can trust. The thing is, I don't know how to say this." Lancelot deeply sighed, "The truth is, Gwen has no feelings for Arthur at all. I am her one true love."

**Thanks for reviews so far! Tell me what you think of this chapter by reviewing please! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**War of the Servants**

**Chapter 4 – Playing With The Mind**

**I'm SO SORRY for the updates! Thanks for being patient. I've written a little more than usual in this chapter to make it up to people who are actually interested in my Fic :D**

Just before light of the following day, Merlin sneaked out of his room without waking Gaius who was fast asleep and made his way to the palace corridors where Lancelot agreed the meet him. With the exception of moonlight, everything was very dark and it was hard for Merlin to see where he was going. Being the usual clotpole he always was, Merlin bumped into many walls several times and kept groaning of pain whilst rubbing his hands on his forehead to ease the throbbing. He heard a snigger in the distance and stopped walking, looking alarmed. 

"Is everything all right Merlin?" Lancelot was grinning, clearly amused at how clumsy Merlin could be. Merlin sighed of relief to see Lancelot. 

"I'm fine!"He insisted and grabbed a torch, whispering '_forbearnan' _as it suddenly beamed a bright flame. _Why didn't I think of that before? _ Merlin felt stupid. 

"Anyway, remind me why we're here again? I could be cherishing my precious beauty-sleep right now!" Merlin joked but Lancelot had a serious expression on his face. 

"I need your help to break the news to Arthur without him thinking ill of me. He always seems to look very insecure whenever I am with Guinevere. I don't know what to do."

Lancelot was fidgeting with his fingers. 

"I don't understand, aren't you angry that Gwen pretends to love another man? Why is she pretending? This doesn't make any sense!" Merlin looked anxiously at Lancelot. 

"Gwen loved Arthur once, but her choice became distorted when she and I met once again. Since then, it appears that she was too polite reveal the truth to Arthur because she's uncertain of what his reaction may be, especially after Arthur had been crowned King of Camelot. For all she knows, Arthur has the right to burn her at the stake with good reason according to his will." Lancelot watched Merlin trying to absorb the information and comprehend everything that was said. 

"Well, Arthur won't find it very 'polite' when he finds out about this. Why didn't you tell him earlier?" 

"I guess I got carried away with my relationship with Guinevere. We've been meeting secretly everyday and she always brings up how guilty she feels about Arthur. Clearly, she's deeply confused Merlin. I need to put her mind at rest from Arthur." Lancelot spoke with hope. 

"The best thing to do is tell Arthur yourself. I can't get involved in this, it'll just complicate things." 

"Why is it that you don't seem much taken aback by all this? I expected a more outraged reaction from you." Lancelot had a sceptical smile on his face. 

Merlin didn't realise Lancelot would be able to tell that he wasn't at all outraged by this. If Guinevere's feelings for Arthur weren't genuine, this would give him the opportunity to take over Arthur's heart. The only thing that was stopping Merlin from getting to Arthur all this time the most bothersome person he had ever met – Gwen. Now there's nothing stopping him. All that needs to happen is Arthur to find out about the betrayal and detest Guinevere. This was perfect. 

"I am shocked; I'm just too tired to show it." Merlin made a show about being tired by exaggerating a loud yawn and stretching his arms. 

"All right, you'd better be off to bed then. Let Arthur know I need to speak to him after breakfast." Lancelot walked away and waved as Merlin did the same. 

* * *

><p>In Arthur's chambers, Merlin stood next to the King, who was vigorously tucking in to his luxurious English breakfast. Although eating like a pig wouldn't normally be considered as an attractive quality, Merlin found it irresistibly adorable. <p>

"Lancelot asked me to let you know that he needs to speak to you urgently."Merlin stated. 

"What for?" Arthur didn't seem to be particularly interested and focused on his food. 

"It's about Guinevere." Merlin didn't want to give too much away but anticipated Arthur's bewildered reaction. 

"What about Guinevere?" Arthur finally stopped eating and looked up at Merlin. 

"Ask Lancelot." 

"Merlin I haven't got time for this ok? I've got plenty of other things to do rather than play at your petty little games!" Arthur demanded. 

"If you insist, sire." Merlin had to confess the truth about Gwen now, "I know this may sound stupid, but it's the truth. Guinevere doesn't love you at all and she's too scared to admit it because you're the King. She loves Lancelot and he loves her." He tried to phrase it as straightforward as he could and felt eager for a response. 

"IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?" Arthur exploded in rage and stood up. Merlin feared that Arthur was likely to throw something at him from previous experience, so he walked towards the doorway. 

"No! I'm telling the truth, I swear!" Merlin replied, trying to gain his trust.

"This is complete ludicrous! If you're telling the truth, then I would've known about this somehow. I can't put up with this any longer Merlin. You caused the bath incident yesterday, and now this. What is wrong with you? I will no longer require your services as my man-servant. I'm relaxing your duties until you've learnt to treat me as your King and not your friend!" Arthur was still shouting. 

"You're firing me?" Merlin was at the verge of tears but held them back. He could not believe the words that came out of Arthur's mouth. 

"Yes, how dare you insult me this way? You heard what I said, now GET OUT!" Arthur grabbed his plate and aimed it at Merlin. Luckily he missed, as Merlin dodged his way out. 

The warlock's vision was blurred by the tears which were welled up so he let them drip down his reddened burning cheeks and hurried to his bedroom, carelessly pushing past everyone. He lay on his bed, sobbing and made a decision. He'd never think of Arthur again. It seemed that every time Merlin got his hopes up about Arthur, it would ridiculously end up in tears. That was the end. No more Arthur. Merlin pushed the miserable thoughts aside and drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

><p>Later on that afternoon, Arthur hand-picked the freshest roses from the palace gardens to offer Guinevere because he was going to pay her a visit to check on her recovery from falling into the well. He put on his best clothes and made his way to her house. When he got there, he tried not to think about what Merlin had said in the morning and knocked on the door, holding an elegant bouquet of red roses for Gwen. There was no answer. It came to his attention that the door was ajar so he slowly pushed it open and entered. <p>

"Guinevere?" Arthur peered around to look for her. He could hear heavy breathing and it looked like it was coming from underneath the blanket on the bed. He took slow but creaky steps towards the bed. The breathing was getting faster and heavier. Arthur placed a hand on the blanket and swiftly removed part of it, only to find Guinevere and Lancelot in bed – together.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat as the bouquet slipped out of his fingers and his jaw dropped in terror. He was absolutely traumatized and a thousand things were racing through his mind. _How did this happen? What did I do to deserve this? Why did nobody notice this earlier?  
><em>

Then he remembered. Merlin tried to warn him earlier, but he didn't believe him. Instead, he fired him. He fired the best servant a King or Prince could ever have. He fired the best friend anyone could ever have.

"I… I don't-I'm sorry... We wanted to tell you earlier but-"Guinevere saw the hurt on Arthur's face and held onto Lancelot. 

"I don't even want to know." Arthur felt like he just had his heart ripped out. He retreated and slammed the door, making his way furiously back to castle, fists clenched. He was burning up inside and felt isolated. Arthur thought about how his closest friends always let him down in the past and how lonely he was. At least when Uther was still alive, he had someone to look after him. Now, there was no one to offer him solace. 

"Arthur! What's got your hair in a muddle?" Gwaine chased after Arthur but gave up when he got the message that Arthur wanted to be left alone. 

Gwaine decided to go to Merlin and find out what was going on. He quietly crept into Merlin's bedroom and took a seat. Savouring, he took a large bite of his apple which made a loud crunch sound, waking Merlin. He rubbed his eyes and got up immediately.

"How long was I asleep for?" Merlin's hair looked very scruffy and he rubbed his eyes.

"I've no idea. All I know is that you've been awoken by an apple!" Gwaine laughed at his own joke, "Your eyes are red; you haven't been crying have you?" Gwaine took another bite of his apple, looking worried.

"No.." he lied. "What makes you say that?" Merlin laughed nervously.

"It hasn't got anything to do with Arthur, has it? He looks really angry for some reason and he completely ignored me when I tried to ask him what the problem was. Do you know anything about this?" asked Gwaine.

"No sorry, no idea. He's just had a go at me as usual, nothing exciting." Merlin didn't feel like talking about Arthur. The mention of his name made him feel sick.

"I think you should go and speak to him, he'd like that." Gwaine suggested.

"No he wouldn't. He hates me."Merlin wanted to cry again.

"Merlin, Arthur never means what he says, it's only teasing. You of all people should know that. He thinks you're a very special friend to him but he doesn't express it much and I'm sure anyone else would agree. I'd hate to lose a friend like you and I doubt Arthur would risk that. Maybe that's only because you were the first friend I ever had in my entire lifetime, but you know what I mean right?" Gwaine patted Merlin on the shoulder to reassure him.

"You really think so?" Merlin looked hopeful and smiled for the first time that day.

"Yeah, go and see him." Gwaine had finished his apple and chucked it in the corner of Merlin's room as if it was some sort of dump.

"Well done, you've cheered me up, as usual." Merlin grinned and punched Gwaine lightly on his shoulder. "Pick up that apple though."

"No problems. I'll be off to the tavern then!" Gwaine picked up the apple and left.

Merlin ran up the stairs in the castle towards Arthur's chambers. He knocked on the door and heard a muffled "Come in." He walked into the room and saw Arthur sitting on his bed with his head buried into the palms of his hands. Merlin knew he'd been crying. Arthur looked up to see Merlin and smiled wearily. Inside, he was overjoyed that Merlin came back, but didn't know what to say. Arthur stood up and walked closer towards Merlin.

"I'm so sorry." Arthur managed, and wrapped his arms around Merlin, never wanting to let go of him. The warmth of Merlin's body against his restored back some hope in Arthur. He realised how fond of Merlin he actually was.

As if to have read Arthur's mind, he smiled, "You stupid dollophead!" and hugged Arthur back. 

**Thank you VERY MUCH to all the reviews, favourites and alerts from readers! They always put a smile on my face :D**


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